


I am Fate

by thatgirlyeojoo



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Career Ending Injuries, Gen, Rivalry, Seventeen Performance Team, but they're in a different dance troupe that is not Seventeen, envy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26430772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgirlyeojoo/pseuds/thatgirlyeojoo
Summary: Soonyoung is their best dancer and also their choreographer─this can't be happening. Minghao can never imagine Soonyoungnotdancing. He looks up, trying to catch his tears, but his chest is already heaving at the news. Beside him, Junhui breaks down completely, and Chan freezes with an odd look on his face.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 26
Collections: Challenge 2: Betrayal





	I am Fate

**Author's Note:**

> I will have to apologize in advance. This round is making me write about bad things :(

The members of the dance troupe wait with bated breath outside the emergency room. All three of them, as well as their manager, rushed to the hospital in their van behind the ambulance that brought Soonyoung here. It has been three hours, and Junhui grows more anxious. He paces restlessly at the side of the corridor, biting at his index finger and willing the storm inside his head to calm down.

Preliminary information from the attending physician about an hour ago told them that, fortunately, Soonyoung didn't hit his head badly during the slip. The nerve-racking part of that little speech, however, was when the doctor said they still need to conduct further examinations because the accident might have caused a spinal cord injury. In short, Soonyoung might lose function of his hips or legs. 

Junhui sighs heavily at the thought, trying so hard not to sob right there and then.

The sound of Soonyoung's cry still reverberates inside his head. No one would be able to imagine that the ever-bubbly and energetic Kwon Soonyoung could create such a heart-wrenching sound. Junhui found their leader at the foot of the stairs, a trail of what appeared to be sparkling water or soda from six steps above following his sprawled form on the floor. He panicked and fumbled with the phone in his haste to contact emergency services. 

"Thank you for calling the ambulance on time," Minghao tells him, gripping his shoulder tight. His eyes are red and brimming with unshed tears. 

Despite Minghao's kind words, however, Junhui feels maybe he should have been there earlier and stopped the tired Soonyoung from going down the stairs unaccompanied. Maybe he should have told his leader to be careful. Maybe he should be the one who slipped. 

* * *

After another hour of waiting, Soonyoung is transferred to a private room, and the three members watch their unconscious friend in silence.

The attending physician follows them inside the room. 

"The MRI scan has confirmed the severe damages to Mr. Kwon's lumbar spine. At this rate, he'd have to undergo intensive rehabilitation before he regains mobility. It would take _years_. And even after that, I'm afraid he might not be able to dance again," the doctor says.

Soonyoung is their best dancer and also their choreographer─ _this can't be happening._ Minghao can never imagine Soonyoung _not_ dancing. It's his passion and life, and his place is in the middle of the dance floor. Once upon a time, Soonyoung had told him about how dancing was the only thing he could imagine himself doing, and without it, he'd simply wither. He looks up, trying to catch his tears, but his chest is already heaving at the news. Beside him, Junhui breaks down completely, and Chan freezes with an odd look on his face. 

When Soonyoung finally comes to, he accepts the news like a champ, crying hard but assuring his members that it's alright. As with his exceptional dancing skills, Minghao admires his leader for his strength even as his dreams crashed all around him. 

"It's a real pity," Soonyoung says, sobbing in between his syllables, "but if this is the end of the line for me as a performer and a choreographer, I'm deeply honored to have been able to dance onstage with you all."

* * *

Chan still feels the heavy atmosphere all throughout, weeks later. He has heard the company staff talk about the incident, seen Soonyoung's smile falter as they visit him despite his insistence that he's now okay. Once, he has also witnessed Junhui and Minghao crying together in the break room, but their rapid-fire Mandarin excluded him from the conversation. 

He wants to join in with everyone's sorrow, but he knows he can't do that completely─not when he's holding back a vital piece of information.

And no one needs to know this. He can take this story to the grave. For once, he doesn't want to be credited for something he did. 

Because while practicing for one of their special stages a few months back, Soonyoung criticised Chan's ideas harshly, and Chan let the offense he took from that comment to grow roots deep into his heart, sprout leaves, and bear a poisonous fruit. On and on it grew inside him until it was already too late to uproot his hatred for the leader he looked up to since he joined this troupe. 

Soonyoung couldn't even appreciate talent when it's dancing right in front of his eyes.

So when the package Soonyoung ordered online finally arrived, Chan grabbed that chance to carefully tip his can of Sprite over the step before proceeding upstairs and calling Soonyoung. His leader, of course, rushed to the lobby and failed to notice the puddle on his way. 

And when he saw Soonyoung slip on that step─watched it in slow motion, like a movie unfolding reel by reel─and heard the terrible cry the older let out, Chan stands at the top of the stairs, thinking about how fate does its trick in the best ways possible. He only walks back to the practice room after hearing the sound of Junhui approaching from the ground floor cafeteria and calling the emergency hotline in distress. 

Chan only meant to disable Soonyoung for a period of time and let him take a break from his hectic schedule. Isn't that doing Soonyoung a favor? And Chan can take over for a bit, showcase what he's got without the dark shadow of Soonyoung over him. It's supposed to be a win-win situation, but, Chan thinks, if the stars want Soonyoung to stop dancing for good, that's no longer on him. 

_Who's the best dancer now?_

**Author's Note:**

> Cue the sound of me knocking on every wooden surface I could reach. Always praying for Soonyoung and everyone's good health! Chan is an absolute **angel** and I love him!


End file.
